Supporters and stakeholders within the political alliance are becoming increasingly divided as a result of the prominent political players in the recently announced African Democratic Congress, ADC, pursuing increasingly ambitious 2027 presidential goals.
This comes as power battles inside the alliance have gotten more intense and coalition supporters have been engaged in heated arguments, particularly on social media, as a result of political ploys and behind-the-scenes consultations.
A possible conflict of goals among the candidates has also been mentioned by some observers as a potential barrier to the coalition’s success.
According to ZINGTIE, the ADC-led coalition is facing a difficult fight against internal division as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with less than two years till the next general election.
The current front-runners to oppose President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2027 are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State.
Although Atiku has not formally confirmed his plan to run, Obi and Amaechi have indicated their desire to unseat Tinubu as leader.
There are already divisions within the coalition, according to party insiders who spoke to ZINGTIE. Some are supporting Atiku, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate; others are swearing allegiance to Obi; and a third bloc is leaning toward Amaechi, a former governor and former APC Minister of Transportation.
On Monday, Peter Obi reaffirmed his intention to run for president in 2027.
Dismissing rumors that he would be Atiku’s running mate in 2027, Obi declared that he was qualified to be president.
He stated in an interview with Channels Television: “I am going to contest for the president of Nigeria and I believe I am qualified.
“Nobody has discussed with me that I’m going to be A, B or C,” Obi added when asked whether he had discussed the possibility of being Atiku’s running mate in 2027.
Former Rivers State Governor Amaechi has also indicated interest in running for the ADC ticket in 2027.
He finished second in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, 2022 presidential primary.
Amaechi pledged to uphold unwritten zoning agreements and act fairly by serving only one term.
“I won’t do more than four years,” he said.
Veteran writer Dele Momodu argued that Atiku should be given the ADC’s presidential ticket, claiming that he has the numbers and that he is a significant threat to President Tinubu in the run-up to the general election in 2027.
This was said by Momodu in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
He claimed that Atiku’s business practices, which included investments in agriculture and education, are an excellent example of what a leader ought to be.
“I said the best choice would be my candidate. Which is what I expect the ‘Obidents’ to say, which I expect those who are supporting Rotimi Amaechi to say, there is nothing wrong with that.
“I’m looking at number one, the numbers. This game is a game of numbers. And the people who are most aggrieved today are from the northern part of Nigeria.
“He’s been running his business, investing in education, investing in agriculture. For me, this is a good example of what a leader should be.
“In Nigeria, you will never find a thug in front of Atiku’s house. For me, these are things that are presented by him, and it is my right to say those things. I’ve never asked anyone not to support Peter Obi. Obi is my very good friend today. If you ask me, one of the people that I believe should lead the coalition, it will be Obi.
“And as a Democrat, I’m appealing to them. I hope they will be able to do it democratically so that they will not say, Oh, they forced one person on them. Let us, let them all go to the fields. Let all Obidients campaign for Obi. Let all those for Atiku and Amaechi also campaign.
“So that is my belief, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I’m happy that the coalition is fully ready and prepared,” Momodu said.
Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, a former national publicity secretary of the now-defunct New PDP and Rotimi Amaechi’s buddy, told ZINGTIE in a brief message on Tuesday that there should be little patience on the subject.
According to Eze, Amaechi has a good chance of winning the ADC presidential ticket, albeit this would depend on how the delegates vote.
He said: “Amaechi has the chance of securing the ticket depending on how the Presidential delegates of ADC decide and vote. Let us just wait and exercise a little patience in this regard.”
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the former media director and spokesperson for the now-defunct Labour Party Presidential Campaign Organization, told ZINGTIE that they think Peter Obi’s candidacy will bring the nation together.
Tanko, the Obidient Movement’s Interim National Coordinator, emphasized that based on all of their evaluations, Obi is the most qualified candidate to become the ADC’s presidential nominee.
He said: “That’s what democracy entails. This is not a one man show. In democracy people have the right to show interest just as Peter Obi has the right to show interest.
“So it is the best that will emerge in this particular situation where we need someone from the south to run the remaining term of four years of the southern presidency, even though it is not constitutional, but it’s a regional arrangement for balancing and equity in the system.
“We believe that Obi’s candidature will be a unifying candidature that will unite this country.”
Tanko also denied that the various coalition camps were exchanging attacks.
He claims that it’s one method of attempting to maximize the system’s potential.
“No, it will not. It’s just trying to get the best out of the system.
“So when people give reasons why a candidate is better than others, they are purely doing what democracy entails because out of these debates the best candidate will run for election. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen in other political parties.
“It’s not a secret cult. It’s somebody who will meet the people, who will have the capacity, who can debate, who can move from point A to B, who can show compassion, credibility, and show a lot of passion to make this country work.
“And that is the reason why from all our assessments we have seen that Mr Peter Obi fits that particular vacancy,” Tanko said.
“When we reach that bridge, we will cross it. At the moment now, we haven’t reached that particular bridge. We are so sure that by the grace of God Peter Obi will emerge and run for election come 2027,” he added when asked what happens if Obi fails to emerge as the coalition’s top candidate.
Supporters of the three political personalities are arguing verbally on social media about who should be in charge of the planned alliance as a result of the widening rift.
Social media was ablaze with debates over the weekend as supporters of both leaders traded barbs in support of their chosen candidates.
Atiku supporters contend that he is still the most seasoned and well-liked candidate across all areas, while pro-Obi organizations have argued that the alliance won’t have any significant impact if it doesn’t nominate Obi as its candidate.
Nduka Odo, a Public Affairs Analyst and Communication Scholar at Peaceland University in Enugu, told ZINGTIE in an interview that the three leading candidates’ followers might be both a boon and a bane for them.
Given that Mr. Peter Obi has no control over his supporters, Odo implied that they might represent a distinct threat to the coalition.
He said those who back Atiku will simply provide the coalition with minor difficulties.
Odo said: “The supporters of the three top aspirants can be a blessing as well as a curse to the aspirants. Parties are built not mainly by the political aspirants but by the citizens who buy into the ideologies and / or sensations of the leading proponents of the party.
“Currently, ADC is like an arranged marital union. The spouses are like strange bedfellows. Creating the union is where the ambitions of the fellows will be tested against their desires for a Nigeria different from the one led by Tinubu. This should not be hard for the aspirants as most of them have worked together in the recent past: Atiku with Obi in 2019 under PDP; El Rufai, Amaechi, and Atiku in 2015 under APC.
“Once they settle up there, supporters of most of the aspirants will easily fall along. Amarchi’s support base is currently weak compared to those of Obi and Atiku, who flew their party flags in 2023 and performed highly in the polls. So, supporters of Amaechi won’t post challenges to ADC.
“Supporters of Atiku, on the other hand, will pose minimal challenges. The nature of their challenge will be far different from that of Amaechi and Obi.
“Atiku’s support base are traditional politicians, mostly people who survive by being in the corridors of power. These persons will not be hard to convince to work for ADC. They will gladly work for the coalition, no matter who flies ADC tickets.
“They’ll do this as long as they’re well taken care of, in terms of instant benefits. They’ll only become a threat to ADC if the party fails to oil their palms. This group of supporters will not Bath eyelids before switching allegiance to APC.
“Supporters of Peter Obi will pose a different kind of threat to the coalition. Unlike most candidates, Obi is not in control of his supporters. It is more like his supporters are in control.
“The Obidients are an amorphous group of individuals, mostly young, who are dissatisfied with the old order of doing things in Nigeria. They want something different, and Obi happens to represent that something new and different, to a greater percentage.
“If ADC fails to field Peter Obi in 2027, ADC will lose the Obidients, and not even Obi himself can convince the Obidients to support another candidate.
“To me, this is the greatest opportunity and dilemma facing ADC.”
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